s a trip to the Holy Land on your bucket list?
Have you put it aside for one reason or
another? Well, make a day trip to Lucedale,
Mississippi and you can walk a scale model
replica of the places so important to the
faithful of the world. Tucked away on a side road you’ll find
Palestine Gardens, a detailed model of those sites and one of
the hidden treasures of the South.
The acreage of Palestine Gardens rises and falls in
proportion to the changes in elevation in the
actual Holy Land, representing the depth of the
Dead Sea at 1,380 feet below sea level to the
heights of Mount Hermon at an elevation of
9,223 feet. From the River Jordan to the walls
of Jerusalem and Golgotha Hill, the locales echo
the actual relationships of the geography.
Although a dam was needed to create
the Dead Sea, most of the rest occurred
naturally. A stream bed represents
the Jordan River. In dry seasons,
a banner in the stream
identifies the feature.
Each region
and town bears identifying
signs, which also give the
section of the Bible where
the area plays a part.
From the ruins of
Joshua’s Old Testament
Jericho to the New
Testament Jericho, where
“a certain man” went
down from Jerusalem,
visitors can see the
proximity and understand
the references in a visual way. A miniature of the victim
and his Samaritan rescuer enhances the
scene along the Jericho Road. Guests
can walk the path between the
towns themselves.
The city of Jerusalem, complete
with its named gates and Temple
Mount stands as the largest town
in the exhibit. The Temple
Pool stands waiting for the angel
to trouble the waters. Bethany,
home
to
Mary,
Martha
and Lazarus, and Bethsaida,
Nazareth,
Bethlehem,
Capernaum and Tiberias are
among the towns represented.
I
By Mary Beth Magee
Palestine Gardens
The Empty Tomb
Galilean Fishing Boat
12
SOUTHERN SENIOR MAGAZINE
| Winter 2016
